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IfiT " " :
Williams, on the stand, gazed from
one member of -the commission, to
another, and his look was 6ne of
great pride. ,
"What are the church people of
Chicago doing to take care of the
girls who are driven cut of the seg
regated districts?" asked O'Hara.
"There is a very mistaken notion
as to the 'scatteration of vice'," said
Williams. "In my district, which is
not a vice district like the South Side,
vice has run rampant during all my
experience. The situation- there is
not so bad as it was when the red
light district was open.
"I said at the time, 'You can put
it down in red ink that I am not go
ing to tolerate the business you are
in in this part of the city',' and to an
swer the other question, I will say:
'Let all the women of the underworld
come along just as fast as they pos
sibly can. We shall undertake to
take care of them Many of these
women will have to have medica)
treatment for cigarettes.'"
"Is there any movement on the
part of the church people, yourself,
for instance, toward extending sym
pathy and a helping hand toward
these women?" asked O'Hara, who
did not seem to be greatly impressed
by the need of the women of the un
derwold for medical treatment for
cigarettes.
"All Christian men and women in
this city have sympathy for fallen
women," said Williams, 'in his pulpit
voice, "but we cannot for a moment
tolerate, this business."
'How many evenings a week is
your church open?" asked Senator
Beall.
"This s'eason of the year," said
Williams, "when it is beginning to
get warm, "there is no demand for
sociability except on 'ordinary' even
ings." .."Does your church oppose danc
ing?" asked Beall.
"Yes," said Williams, and again his
mouth shut like a trap.
".You could not operi.it for dancing,1
properly regulated dancing?" per
sisted Beall.
"No' said Williams. ,
O'Hara leaned forward.
"Many welfare workers have de
fended properly regulated dance
halls. I want to point out-that the
church might do a great service. It
might forget religion a few nights in
the week.- It might say to the' boys
and girls of the district in which it
is situated, the growing children hun
gering for clean amusement, and de
nied all opportunity for such amuse
ment: Boys and girls come here.
You don't have to belong to this
church. But just come here and have
a good time. Supposing- that were
done?"
Williams' face became more icily
cold than ever.
"It is essential to our position,"-he .
said, in a harsh voice, "that the name
of the Deity would have to be men
tioned." We feel that dancing is Es
sentially evil, particularly among
young people.
"These are my personal reasons.
In 'our church we are not so con
trolled .that we cannot speak freely.
To open the church and give dances
would be a violation. My own per
sonal opinion is that you awaken the
passions of young people in dancing
in a way not likely to be done in any
other social amusement. And it leads
to indecencies.
"These things are not gathered by
by owrj observations, but from the
statements of men who have been
more intimate with dance halls than
myself. I havepaid more attention
to notorious cafes, hotels " and the
like."
"Have you ever heard of girls go
ing wrong through the influence of
fashionable restaurants?"
"I never heard anything of the '
kind that I could prove I had a wo
man give me an affidavit this morn
ing concerning a saloon she has. fre
quented recently where one of the
saloonkeepers went with her through
the department stores and solicited